The Old DM’s House Rules on Hiding

Posted by Ronny on April 9, 2025

The Old DM’s House Rules on Hiding

D&D 5E’s rules for hiding are a mess. I previously posted my thoughts on this in my post D&D 5E – Stealth and Hiding. In a similar vein I posted D&D 5E – House Rule – Pop-up Archer. I was hoping that the 2014 update would improve on the hiding rules, but I was disappointed. Also, I am a fan of Tales of the Valiant, but they left the hiding rules pretty much unchanged.  So I decided to replace the rules on hiding in 5E with my own house rules and here they are.
This replaces everything I said on those previous posts.

In the house rules below, every rule applies equally to PCs and other creatures.
The first thing I did was create a new condition called “Hidden.”

The Hidden Condition

Hidden: The creature or creatures that you are hiding from are unaware of your location.

Clarification:

1. The terms “you are hiding” and “you are hidden” or “you have the Hidden condition” are synonymous.
2. Being “stealthy” is trying to remain undetected which is the same as trying to hide.
3. You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from is unable to determine your location by sight, hearing, smell or any other sense it possesses.
   • This is the most common situation. The Creature is trying to determine where you are.
   • It may be wanting to attack you, but it can’t see or hear you.
   • An example could be when you are invisible (it can’t see you) and you are being very quiet (it can’t hear you).
   • Another example would be when you move to a position behind total cover, such as behind a tree or a barrel and try to remain unseen and unheard.
4. You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from doesn’t notice you.
   • This is typically when a creature you are trying to sneak up on is currently unaware of your presence. They may be distracted or simply looking the other way. You attempt to both quickly and silently sneak up from behind.
   • Another example might be if you are attending a royal party and attempt to pick the pocket of a noble. You try to avoid attracting his attention while you get close enough to pick his pocket without being noticed.
   • A third example would be if you transformed into a small spider and are simply there to gather information while observing from the ceiling in the corner of the room.
5. You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from can’t distinguish you from others.
   • In this case they can see you and they may know that you are near and a possible threat, but you are among others and it doesn’t know which one you are.
   • You may be trying to blend in with the crowd, or you might be attempting to hide while disguised as (or transformed into) a sheep in a flock of sheep.

Benefits to Being Hidden

• If you are hidden from all your opponents before the first round of combat you will surprise them and get a free round to attack them before they can react. (You are no longer hidden after you attack.)
• On all targeted attacks against you, the attacker must first identify where he thinks you are located. The attack will automatically miss if you are not in that 5 foot area. The attack is made with disadvantage, even if you are not in the targeted area, and the DM simply tells the attacker if his attack missed.
• If you are hidden you make attacks with advantage if you can see the target. However, you will no longer be hidden if the attack hits or misses.

When can you hide?

During combat, hiding is an action.
In combat or not, you can’t hide from a creature that can perceive your location.

Clarification:

1. The DM determines when conditions are right for making a hide check, including in the following examples.
2. You can attempt to hide from one or more creatures if they do not currently see you clearly or perceive your location by any special senses they might have such as darkvision, blindsight, tremorsense, or truesight.
3. Another situation where you can attempt to hide is when the creature you are trying to hide from is distracted or looking away from your location.

How do you hide?

You make a Hide check [a Dexterity (Stealth) check].
Make a note of the results of that check to be used later.
Unless you indicate one or more specific creatures that you are attempting to hide from, it will be assumed that you are attempting to hide from your foes and not from your allies.

When are you no longer hidden?

1. Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, the hide check you made is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that might notice you or that actively searches for signs of your presence. You are discovered and no longer hidden from creatures that win the contest. The DM may choose to use the creature’s Passive Perception score rather than making a Perception check.
2. You are no longer hidden from a creature that can hear you if you make noise.
3. You are no longer hidden from a creature that can hear you if you speak louder than a whisper or cast a spell with a verbal component.
4. You are no longer hidden if you make an attack of any kind if it hits or misses.

Difference between hidden and invisible

Invisible: Being invisible means you can’t be seen by normal sight or darkvision but creatures might still locate you by sounds you make, tracks you leave, your smell, the way the air or plants move around you, or some other way.
Hidden: If a creature can’t perceive your location by seeing you, or by any special senses, you can attempt to hide from it. So if a creature is dependent on sight alone to perceive your location, you can attempt to hide from it if you are invisible.

Clarification:

1. If you are invisible and hidden, when a creature locates you, you will no longer be hidden from it but you will still be invisible.
2. If a creature can’t be detected by using any of your senses then you can only guess at its location.
   • If you can notice some clue as to its location you must succeed in a Perception check to locate it.
   • You can make this check with advantage if you use the Search action.
   • If it has attempted to hide, your Perception check will be against its hide check.

Advantage and Disadvantage

Here is a summary of situations where your character might have advantage or disadvantage based on hidden or invisible conditions.

• Attacks you make against a creature you can’t see are made with disadvantage.
• If you are hidden or invisible, attacks you make against a creature you can see are made with advantage.
• If you attack a creature that is hidden from you, you must guess at its location (identify the square you think it is in) before you make the attack and the attack is made with disadvantage. The DM will tell you if the attack hit or missed. If it missed you will not know if the creature was in that square or not.
• If you attack a creature that is invisible but not hidden, you may first make a perception check to see if you can notice some indication of where it is located. If you determine the creature’s location, your attack is made with disadvantage. Failing the perception check, proceed as you would if it were hidden.

Handling Total Cover

Have you ever had a player that wanted to stay behind total cover during combat and just step out and fire his arrow on his turn and then step back? I don’t like this. It doesn’t make for cinematic, or heroic combat. Here are a couple of house rules I have implemented to address this and other similar situations.

1. If you are behind total cover and hidden, if you move out from behind that cover, you are no longer hidden to creatures who can see you. However, the first attack you make the round you come out from cover is made with advantage.
   • This is to reward you for being stealthy.
2. If you are behind total cover but are not hidden and cannot see your target, if you move out from behind total cover and attack, the first attack you make that round is made with disadvantage.
   • This is because you will have to locate your target visually and do not have time to take careful aim.
3. If, during your turn, you move from an exposed location to a location behind total cover, one creature that can see you can take a reaction to make an attack with disadvantage against you with a ranged weapon it is holding.
   • This assumes of course that the attacker hasn’t used its reaction this round and meets any other requirements for making the attack. For example, if it has a longbow in hand, it must have the other hand free and access to an arrow it can draw and fire.
   • The attack will necessarily be rushed. That is why it is made with disadvantage.
   • The attack is made when you are in the last exposed 5 foot space that the creature can see before you enter total cover.
   • The limit of one creature taking the reaction is imposed to prevent a deluge of arrow attacks against a character seeking refuge.
   • Remember that you can now only attempt to hide this round by taking the hide action. If you have already taken an action (to attack for example) you might not have another action available.
4. If, during combat, you move from an exposed location to a location behind total cover it is assumed that your opponents are taking note of where you are hiding. Therefore, if you then take the hide action, unless you move at least 15 feet while remaining behind total cover before moving out into the open, the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that might notice you is made with advantage.
   • Note that this will typically mean that they will have advantage on noticing when you re-appear if you have stepped behind a tree or barrel for example and can’t move 15 feet or more before leaving an area of total cover.
   • If they succeed in their perception check, you are not hidden from them so your first attack after revealing yourself is made with disadvantage instead of with advantage (refer to the Advantage Disadvantage section above).